My Redemption
by JZA
Summary: Neji's father died. Can the little boy bear the pain? Someone will stand by his side, help him see things differently. But what is the future holding for them? Can they really live the way they want and change the ancient ways of their clans?
1. Prologue

******A/N: **Yay! A new fanfic! I felt inspired while revising maths for my finals T_T so... prologue is a little bit dramatic. After reading some very good fanfics with Itachi and Neji, I felt like writing one too cause they're so great together! ^^ I really think they're very much alike, plus they make a hot couple, ohohohoho! / Enjoy and Review please, I love reading what you think of my stories!

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**-Prologue-**

The boy covered his face with his clenched fists, his long brown hair billowing in the wind. He gasped for air, only to continue weeping.

He was a disgrace as a son. It was his duty to protect the people around him, the people of his family and yet, he had failed miserably. How could he go on living knowing that he had let down his father?

He couldn't…

The boy's cries had quitened and he was now shivering from the cold. Tears were still falling from his pale eyes but the wailing had stopped. He raised his head and looked at the evening shy.

He knew what he had to do…

He searched inside the folds of his clothes and gripped the cold metal handle of a kunai. With shaking hands, he took it off his pocket. The sharp blade was shining deadly with the remaining light.

He knew what he had to do…

The boy had held a blade many times before, even used it on someone. But it had never looked so menacing… More tears clouded his vision as he positioned the tip of the kunai in front of his stomach. He wiped them away with his sleeve and looked down at his other hand, the one holding the tool of his redemption. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

He had failed his father…

He knew what he had to do…

And the blade flashed forward.

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**A/N: Cliffhanger of absolute doom! Oh... suspence is whiping me like a sadistic maniac! **

**See ya next chapter! - _JZA_**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: **New chapter... One that was written while outside the temperature is 40 C... Holy shhhhhh... I must have drank more than 20 Iced Teas these past 3 days... T_T Yay, summer is here and school is over, for good in my case! Yesh! :D

Reviews=love :3

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His hands were warm…

That was strange… A couple of minutes ago he was freezing, the cold air making the hair on his arms stand straight.

Was it really a few minutes before?

The boy frowned.

Perhaps, that's what Death feels like, warm and confusing, making you lose track of time. He could have already been dead for a decade and he wouldn't have noticed…

_What does Death look like? _– the boy thought, his childish innocence intact even in the shapeless turmoil of ceasing existance.

He opened his eyes slowly, curious about the true nature of Death. He had lived his whole short life learning how to deliver death in the most efficient ways, losing members of his family almost daily. But Death itself, he had never experienced it close by.

And what he had imagined it to be like, was certainly not what he saw when he parted his eyelids.

Could Death be smiling?

Could it have the form of a dark-haired beautiful boy?

_Of cource not! Don't be silly! _– the boy thought again, angry with himself. He shut his eyes tightly.

Maybe Death meant seeing pretty things until the end of the world, when souls would disappear as well. He wasn't sure, so he reopened his eyes.

There he was again, the smiling and beautiful, dark angel of Death.

"Hey little one…" the angel spoke softly, his voice deep and delicious, like cherries and bitter chocolate.

The boy blinked twice, his eyes still misty, and said in a shaky voice.

"Am I dead?"

The angel's smile became wider and he shook his head.

"No, you're very much alive… Look." he said, motioning for the boy to look down.

His warm hands were covering the boy's smaller ones as well as the kunai. The boy looked closely. There wasn't any blood on his clothes, no pain where he was supposed to have cut himself.

Nothing…

"You stopped me…" he whispered, still looking at the two pairs of hands.

"I did…"

"You're not an angel!" the boy said accusingly, his eyes swelling with fresh tears.

The other boy frowned and stared confused at the younger one.

"What do you—"

"You're not an angel! And I'm alive!"

He took a deep breath and yelled:

"WHY DID YOU STOP ME?"

Not waiting for an answer, he teared his hands away and leaped at the one before him.

"WHY!" he yelled again, his fists trying to hit as much flesh as possible, leave as many bruises as they could.

He screamed, fury and grief leading his actions. He reached for the kunai, only wanting to kill, kill, kill that stupid boy for taking his death away.

"Calm down!" the other shouted.

"NO!" the boy screamed again and attacked, his eyes wild, almost mad.

The blade was aiming for the heart but, at the last second, the dark-haired stranger grabbed the boy's wrist, snatching the kunai out of his hand, throwing it down and pinning him on the ground. His arms were holding the boy's smaller body as he was screaming and crying, shouting and kicking.

"Shh, calm down…" the stranger spoke softly at the boy, repeating it over and over again.

"It's okay…"

He kept murmuring and stroking the boy's long hair till he stopped struggling. He lay there, on the hard ground, crying silenlty, a few hiccups interrupting his tears.

"You took it from me…" he accused, his voice hoarse after all the shouts.

"What did I take?" the stranger asked and he gently pushed the boy up to a sitting position.

He kept his arms around the boy's shoulders, never stopping stroking the long, brown hair.

"What did I take?" he asked again, his serious eyes looking at the boy's tear stained face.

The boy sniffled and and shook his head.

"My chance of dying respectfully…" he said and shut his eyes, refusing to let any more tears appear.

"Why would you want to die?" he heard the soft voice saying.

"Because… Because…" the boy gasped for air and burried his face at the crook of the stranger's neck.

His little body shook with sobs, his little hands grasping the shirt of the older boy.

"Shhh…" the other boy whispered, caressing the back of the poor thing in his arms.

"What's your name?" he asked when the boy's trembling had died down once again.

"N-Neji." The little one answered.

"Tell me what troubles you, Neji."

The boy sniffed and rubbed his face at the black cloth he was holding tightly.

"My father was killed…" he said as calmly as he could master.

The caressing on his back paused for a few seconds before beginning again.

"How?" the older boy asked again, his voice more serious than before.

"He… He took his brother's place…to protect him… He died in his place!" the boy said, his voice cracking at the end.

He pressed himself more on the other boy's body and sniffed again. One of the hands on his back moved to his head, holding him softly.

"You're blaming yourself…" the stranger said.

It was not a question but a realisation, a fact. The younger boy nodded. He felt fresh tears wetting his already soaked shirt.

"Don't…" he whispered.

The little boy pulled his head back and looked at the other confused.

"What?"

"Don't blame yourself…" the stranger spoke softly, cupping the little boy's face with his hands.

"You won't achieve anything that way… Killing yourself in not a solution either…" he said pressing his thumbs lightly on the soft cheeks.

"I had a duty… And I failed. As a warrior's son, I must pay accordingly." Neji said seriously, his big eyes never leaving the older boy's gaze.

"I understand your way of thinking. But what could you possibly do to alter your father's fate?"

The dark-haired boy sighed and let his hands fall from the child's face.

"My duty—" the little one began saying but he was stopped .

"Do you think you father would like to see you dead so young?"

The younger boy opened his mouth to answer but couldn't find the right words. It was a hard question… No parent wanted to see their kids dead at a young age. But this kind of feelings didn't belong at Neji's world. Duty was above everything else.

"I believe he'd want for you to grow up, become stronger and protect the rest of your family." the stranger said before the little boy had managed to arrange his thoughts.

"Really?" Neji asked, not sure about what he should believe, the clan's strict laws or the words of the beautiful boy?

"Yes…" the stranger said and smiled gently at the confused boy.

He extended his hand to the boy's cheek and caressed it again.

"What did your father tell you before he left for his mission?" he asked.

Neji closed his eyes for a minute, enjoying the feeling of the warm hand on his skin.

"He said I should take care of my cousin and protect her from danger…" he said, his eyes still closed.

"Hmm… Wouldn't killing yourself be against his last words then?" the older boy said smiling again when the little one frowned deeply.

"I didn't think about that…"

The stranger chuckled and stood up, offering his hand at Neji. The boy took it and he stood up too, still troubled. The other boy studied his face carefully.

"What are you going to do?"

Neji looked up at him and pouted cutely.

"I-I don't know…"

The older boy laughed and patted the younger one's head.

"What do you want to do?" he asked again, stroking the brown locks.

"I want my family to be proud of me." Neji said after giving the question some thought.

"I'll protect my cousin." he added, having made up his mind.

"Good". the dark-haired boy said and smiled kindly.

"But first, you have to return to your house. Your family will be worried about you and you'll catch a cold if you stay exposed in the wind any longer." he continued, checking the boy's temperature with his hand.

"Yes…" Neji said and leaned to the touch.

"Go now…"

The stranger pushed the younger boy gently towards the path that led out of the woods. Neji took a few steps but turned around again.

"What's your name?" he asked the older boy, his cheeks slightly pink.

"Itachi." the dark-haired boy answered and leaped high in the air, landing on a thick tree branch.

"Take care little one." he shouted at the surprised boy.

And then he was gone, leaving Neji to wonder if that kind boy really was an angel. Following the path out of the woods, Neji headed home, his kunai laying forgotten on the ground.

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**A/N: **Well, what do you think? My best friend read it before I posted it and said it was very touching... Then again, maybe she's just biased! :D I don't know how I'm able to write fluffy and cute and touching stuff like this while listening to f(x)'s new album, which is AWESOME! Especially "Beautiful Stanger" and "Electric Shock"... Yes, I'm a K-POPer!

See ya next chapter! - _JZA_

_(PS: Do you like K-Pop? C:)_


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Yay! New chapter, written with difficulty due to a huge-ass inspiration block... My bestie read it and said it's awesome but then again, she says the same for everything I write! Please be more cruel judges than her, I want to correct my mistakes. k, thx!

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**-Chapter 2-**

A few weeks after the incident in the woods, the head of the Hyuga clan, Hyuga Hiashi, had a very important meeting with the head of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Fugaku.

Since theirs' were the strongest clans in Konoha, their friendly relations had to be assured, especially after how close the Uchiha came to a total massacre. Fortunately, the issue was solved without a pointless bloodshed but the prestige of the ancient clan had suffered a great blow. They were now working to rebuilt it and the help of the Hyuga was essential.

Each of the two men was accompanied by the elders, councillors and various other people of the clans to take the minutes of the meeting. But they had also with them their youngsters. Neji, Hinata and Hanabi, Itachi and Sasuke entered the conference hall, close behind the men.

Neji had decided that he would become the best, not only of the branch family but of all the Hyuga. And if that required that he had to attend this kind of meetings, he would make sure to pay attention to every single word that was going to be said.

His resolution weakened though, when he saw who was behind the Uchiha head. His pale eyes widened and he halted, a small gasp escaped from his lips.

It was the beautiful angel!

Neji couldn't believe his eyes!

He had thought that he would never see the older boy again but here he was now, smiling like the first time he appeared before him. Itachi raised his hand and waved at Neji. His younger brother looked curiously, first at him and then at Neji.

"Nii-san…" Sasuke whispered, tugging his brother's shirt to get his attention.

"Who's that?"

"A friend…" Itachi answered and they sat down next to their father as the meeting began.

Neji couldn't concentrate on the meeting, he just couldn't! As much as he wanted to prove himself worthy and even better than the main family, he kept glancing at the boy sitting opposite from him. Everything the adults were saying about treaties, attacks and alliances, were simply going in one ear and out the other. The little boy a few times caught the other looking at him too. When that was happening, Neji was averting his eyes quickly, pretending to be interested in the vivid discussions of the clan leaders.

A couple of hours passed like that when they all decided to take a break. Even serious adults were in need of a pause now and then.

"Neji nii-san…" a soft girl's voice was heard when the others left the room.

It was Hinata.

But Neji didn't want to talk to her. He would never do that again. She still had a father while his was dead. Dead in order for the main family to live happily ever after. He hated her for that. He hated everyone in the main family. Neji knew he had to protect her, but still… He shrugged the younger girl off.

There were more important things that he had to do. The long-haired boy walked towards Itachi. He finally had the chance to talk to him, ask him more things, learn more.

Why had he stopped him?

Why not let him commit suicide? It's not like he knew him or that he was his friend…

Friend…

Even though Neji didn't knew him either, he was feeling a strange pull from the older boy. It was like gravity, a force of that magnitude. Neji couldn't help but walk towards him, the angel of Death.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked when he was standing in front of him.

Their conversation could surely have started more smoothly. Itachi studied him for a couple of minutes, then turned to his brother.

"Sasuke, go keep company at the little girls."

"But nii-san!"

"Please…"

"Hmph…" the little boy grunted and complied, shooting an angry look at the pale eyed boy.

Itachi looked back at Neji, studying his face again. The younger boy stood straight, returning the gaze steadily. Seeing the determination of that look, Itachi sighed.

"Telling you who I was wouldn't mean anything, given the nature of the situation you were into." he said seriously and added in a softer voice:

"Would it matter?"

"A little bit…" Neji answered and took a step closer to the boy.

"Why?"

"You wouldn't understand…" Neji said and looked down at his feet.

"Give it a try." Itachi urged him softly.

"You… You are the heir of the Uchiha clan…" the little boy spoke, his voice low and bitter.

"I'm only one member of the Hyuga's branch family…" he continued in a whisper.

"I shouldn't talk to someone like you… My position is to serve the main family…"

"Yet, here you are." Itachi said and placed his hand on the boy's cheek, making him look up.

"You don't agree with the main and branch family discrimination but, unconsciously, you still practise what you were taught to do since you were a baby."

Neji frowned angrily and clenched his fists. He teared his chin from Itachi's hand and stepped back.

"I'll change that!" he growled.

"What? Your behaviour or the whole family?"

"All of the Hyuga! I'll make them see that main and branch aren't different."

Itachi smiled and patted the little boy's head.

"Good. Do you see now why didn't I tell you who I was?"

"Yes…" Neji murmured.

"Yours and mine… It's just names. They don't show who we really are."

"You're right…"

"Do you understand what I'm saying?" the older boy said and lowered his body so that his face was in the same level as Neji's.

"I think I do." the younger one answered and look deeply at the black eyes.

"You don't agree with your family's ways either…" Neji realised.

"I believe some of them could be altered for the best. We're not perfect even though the elders seem to believe that our choices are always the right ones."

He sighed again and motioned for the boy to go sit down on one of the benches outside the big hall. Once they were comfortable, Neji turned to the older boy again.

"But you're the heir. Everything should be perfect for you."

Itachi smiled at the boy but the warmness didn't reach his eyes.

"It's because I'm the heir that I'm twice as pressured as everyone else in the clan."

His hands gripped the wood of the bench and he leaned forward.

"I want to help. I want to make my clan better. That's why I don't mind the pressure. But above all, I want to make everyone understand that a name doesn't mean anything at all if our actions are not the right ones."

He raised his eyes, seeing something that only the eyes of his mind could see. Neji was listening mesmerised by the words of his angel. They were so close to what his young mind was thinking lately.

No. Not just close. They were the same.

They both wanted to change the retrogressive ways of their clans. They both felt the weight of duty on their shoulders, the one being the heir of one of the strongest clans of their world and the other being obliged to serve the supposed superior members of his family. They were both decided to fight in order to achieve what they wanted.

Itachi turned his head to face the younger boy and smiled for real this time, seeing the awestruck expression on Neji's face.

"Are my words that fascinating, little one?" he asked amused.

Neji nodded and smiled too, his cheeks painted a nice pink colour.

"Let's do it together?" he said happily.

"And what is that, Neji?"

"Change our families! It's not something you can do alone and I…" he paused.

"You what?" Itachi asked softly, brushing a strand of long brown hair off the boy's face.

"I want to help you…" Neji said, his heart beating frantically in his chest.

Why was that? His young mind couldn't comprehend why the organ in his chest was sending blood to his body three times more quickly when the older boy was doing that simple movement of pushing his hair aside. Or when he was saying his name. Or when he was looking at him with his black eyes.

"I want to help you…" Neji said again, his pale eyes staring into black ones.

"I would appreciate your help, little one." Itachi said and patted the boy's head like had done before.

Neji grinned, feeling that he now had a solid purpose. He was lost after his father's death but now, after meeting and talking with Itachi, he was more at ease. It's like a gap in him has been filled.

"Does that mean that we're friends now?" the younger boy asked shyly.

Itachi laughed and tousled the boy's hair.

"Yes, we're friends!"

He caressed the disarranged brown locks and leaned closer to the boy.

"You'll help me and I'll help you. That's what friends do, right?"

"Yes!" Neji nodded eagerly and raised his hand, sticking out his pinkie finger.

"Promise?" he asked sweetly.

"Of course." Itachi said and tangled his own little finger with Neji's.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, as if to strengthen their promise. But the meeting was about to continue, so they stood up and took their places on the tatami mats, trying to pay attention at the discussions.

The meeting ended late in the evening after many hours of continuous talking and arguing, sighing and glaring. The Hyuga agreed to help the Uchiha built their reputation back to its former greatness. From their part, the Uchiha had to accept a Hyuga representative, appointed to make sure that the relations of the two clans would run smoothly from now on. The pride of the ancient clan's people prevented that condition from getting accepted at first, but their dire state forced them to agree to the terms laid before them. One question remained without an answer.

Who would be the representative?

Hyuga Hiashi was very troubled about who he should appoint. He was pacing back and forth while waiting for his assistants to prepare for leaving, pondering on the issue. The older members of the clan were out of question, since they were too fixed on the past and the controversies between the clans to care for the progress of both families. No, someone young and open minded was needed, someone who would be able to devote his or her life to the maintenance of peace. He was thinking of some possible options, but none of them was good enough for him.

Both teams had gathered their stuff and were about to head back to their compounds, when Uchiha Fugaku took the Hyuga leader aside.

"The matter of the representative still remains unsolved." he said when they were far from curious ears, his voice stern.

"It does indeed. But I'm close to finding a solution." the other man said just as sternly.

"Do you have someone in mind? Do tell me· I'm most interested in hearing who will be the one to keep such a close eye to my clan's matters."

The two leaders glared at each other. Old rivalries were not so easy to forget after all, not even when alliance treaties have been just signed. Hiashi took a deep breath to calm himself and answered, his eyes never turning away from the Uchiha's cold ones.

"None of them are satisfying options."

Fugaku frowned and covered the lower part of his face with one hand, lost in deep thought.

"It will not be an easy task. The one you will choose must be ready to accept the difficulties of his position. He must not have attachments to your clan that will prevent him from being impartial." he said, still thinking deeply.

"As much as you want a puppet that will move according to where you point it to, the one chosen will be working for the Hyuga, not for you." Hiashi hissed to the other man.

The Uchiha leader landed furiously his fist to the closest tree.

"Don't mess with me Hyuga. You know exactly what I mean!" he yelled and his black eyes flashed red for a moment.

"I'm aware of the significance this position will hold and I don't need you to tell me how to choose from my men." Hiashi spat back.

They stood glaring at each other like wild animals for a few seconds. One wrong word or action and the whole treaty would be blown up! They slowly straightened their bodies, since they had taken their hunched attacking stances, thinking twice about the possible catastrophe their clash would bring. What a shame would it be to throw everything away just because they didn't agree on this matter. Their bodies relaxed and they returned to the exchange of cold looks.

"May I suggest someone?" Fugaku spoke, trying to keep his tone neutral.

Hiashi gave a slight nod, studying the other man's face through narrowed eyes. What could he possibly have in mind?

"That boy who was with today… I noticed he has quite the connection with my eldest son."

"Neji? Yes, I noticed too. Do you believe he would be ideal?" Hiashi asked a little bit surprised.

"Yes, I do. He's young and having a friendly relationship with Itachi will prove beneficial in many ways. Besides, my son loves peace and will eagerly help him to keep the balance between the clans."

"And he will also prove that the future head of the Uchiha as well as the whole young generation truly believe in collaboration between our clans. Hmm…" Hiashi thought about it for a couple of minutes, looking to where Neji and the two Uchiha boys were talking lively.

"It makes sense…" he said after a while. "Neji recently lost his father, and my brother, so I believe giving him that responsibility will help him get over his grief."

The Hyuga turned to the Uchiha and steadily extended his right hand. The other man took it and they shaked hands, sealing their decision.

The representative would be Neji Hyuga.

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**A/N: **I hope I depicted the leaders' personalities and actions well enough... Argggghghghgh, older people are hard to write T_T

There's one more chapter of innocent child years and then boomshakalaka... the teenage future, yesh! And I think we all know what teenage years mean, especially if one is a stressed ninja... durrrhurrrr :3

See ya next chapter! _- JZA_


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Finally, an update! I know it took long for me to write it but I lack concentration... Big time... -.-'' Now that I look at it again, I feel like this chapter could have been much better... Oh well! Enjoy either way :D

_See ya next chapter! (which I don't have a damn clue about when it's gonna be written...) - JZA_

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The clash of metal on metal was filling the training grounds. Along with yells and grunts, those were the only sounds existing. The birds had long before left, scared by the commotion the two kids were making. Their figures were casting long shades on the tamped down grass as the sun was quickly descending the sky.

"YAHHH!" the younger shouted and launched another attack.

His body moved with the ease and beauty of a swan gliding on a lake. But although his blows were well planned and executed, the opponent he was facing was just as good. Maybe the older boy wasn't as smooth but there was a certainty and confidence that the other one was looking.

"Keep you body low Neji!" the opponent shouted back and deflected the palm aiming his chest.

The younger boy jumped back and leaped on the air, planning to attack from above. His opponent remained still, following his moves with intensity in his eyes. Just before the boy would fall on the other, he twisted his body and his foot landed on the other's shoulder.

Or at least, he thought it landed…

In a matter of seconds, Neji was thrown on the ground and red eyes were staring at him. He grunted and hit his little fist down.

"Itachi! I thought we said no döjutsu!" he complained.

"Sorry, it just appeared." the older boy answered with a smile and offered his hand to the boy.

"I don't believe you." Neji frowned and pouted but took the hand and got to his feet.

"Again!" he said after shaking the dirt and dust off his clothes.

"I would love to but it's getting dark."

"I'll use my Byakugan! Come on!" Neji insisted.

"I thought we said no döjutsu?" Itachi asked and raised an eyebrow, bursting to laughter after seeing Neji's angry face.

"Itachi!" he threatened, ready to smack the boy's head if he didn't stop that idiotic laugh.

"Aha… hahaha… I'm sorry… you were so cute just now, so easy to anger." the black-haired boy said and wiped a tear from the corner of his now normal, black eyes.

Neji stared flatly at him.

"I'm not amused."

"Oh, my serious little one…" Itachi smiled and patted the shorter boy's head.

Yes, it was like that for the past couple of months. They were getting closer, becoming friends. It had been a little awkward at first, after learning about Neji's new position in the clan and the importance and responsibility of it, but it had all gone away after one or two weks. It was easy for them, it came natural to be friends. As easy as breathing. Being young and so much alike had helped them to quickly built a nice friendship without doing anything special but being themselves.

Neji was still very young, so his character wasn't entirely made yet. But he was sure about certain things, like the need for changes in his clan's rules, the duty towards the protection of the village and its people. He was certain that he liked being friends with the Uchiha heir, certain that they could and would change everything. They just had to get stronger and older.

Of course, there were less important things he was certain about too, like the length of his hair, which was not to be mocked or else there would be trouble! After all, his father had his hair long too, so… the stupid brats at the academy calling him names could go to hell!

That hair was now being stroked as the two kids were walking back to the Uchiha compounds. Neji was spending a lot of time there since his role demanded his attention to be equally divided between both Hyuga and Uchiha. He didn't mind. In fact, Neji was delighted about being away from the rest of the Hyuga for so long. He didn't have that privilege before, it was always home – academy – home. He rarely went out in the village and when he did, it was never for entertaining purposes. Branch members didn't enjoy that luxury, never.

Being outside , training at different training grounds, walking on streets he hadn't seen before, breathing a different air of Konoha, a more fresh and healthy one, was a true gift. Itachi had offered him that and Neji accepted it greedily. He wasn't misunderstood… Itachi could imagine the many restrictions the little boy had in his life. And now, one by one, these restrictions were being lifted.

"Why are you grinning?" Itachi asked curiously.

"It's nothing…" Neji murmured and tried to control the little muscles on his face to make them not turn onto a grin again.

Itachi's hand on his hair stopped moving and came to rest on Neji's shoulder. He watched the younger boy with the corner of his eye, seeing him blush slightly and looking down at his feet. He was so much alike with his cousin Hinata sometimes.

"Thank you…"

His words were almost lost in the late afternoon noises of people returning home, merchants gathering their goods inside their shops, children begging their mothers to let them play a little bit more with their friends. The typical noises of Konoha as night was falling slowly. But that didn't prevent Itachi from hearing. He heard and understood, perfectly so. He was thirteen years old, he knew why a kid would be thanking him for something as simple as a walk in Konoha's main street. Itachi gave Neji's shoulder a squeeze to show that he knew what the little boy was talking about, and kept walking.

A few meters down the street was a small sweets shop. A very good one in Itachi's opinion. It made the dango in Konoha, the black-haired boy's favourite treat. He often came here with his brother but was always ending up eating the sweets alone since Sasuke was not a fan of the sticky and way too sweet syrup the dango were bathed into. The older boy turned towards Neji. He looked awkward and not sure about talking or not, even though he was still standing close to Itachi.

"I hope you don't mind if we stop for a while." he asked and reached for the pouch on his hip, taking out a few yen.

"Stop?" Neji looked up at his friend curiously.

"Yes."

The older boy pointed at the small shop and headed there, Neji closely following behind him. The owner, an old lady, spotted Itachi and waved at him through the wide, open window that was a vitrine at the same time.

"Hello my boy. Came for some delicious dango again?" she said and smiled, a few teeth missing.

"Yes please!" Itachi beamed, an eager tone that Neji haven't heard before coating his voice.

He stood beside Itachi, eyeing suspiciously the old lady and her wide, toothless grin while she was preparing a paper cone full of the soy bean paste sweets. He tapped Itachi's elbow and whispered:

"Itachi, aren't we going to be late?"

"Don't worry." Itachi said without taking his eyes off the small bean balls.

"Here you go child." the lady offered the sweets at Itachi and took the money from him, turning to look at Neji.

"What a cute little boy you have with you today!" she said, taking a big, white dumbling from the vitrine and offering it to Neji.

Itachi balanced the dango on one hand and reached for his pocket but the lady shook her head and smiled again.

"It's a gift. But if you want, you can pay me next time you come by buying a real big portion of dango!"

She winked and her wringled face looked like a mischievious little girl for a moment.

"Thank you very much." Itachi bowed as did Neji, taking the stuffed dumbling from the old woman.

The two kids took the road to the Uchiha residences, walking and eating, talking and joking, the now turned on lights on the streets lightening up their faces. They were hungry after the training and the sugar boost was just what they needed in order to feel good again.

"You go to that shop often?" Neji asked before taking another bite of sweets.

"As often as I can. When I have free time and Sasuke doesn't have too much homework, I take him and go."

Itachi took another stick of dango and ate it quickly, enjoying the sweetness in his mouth.

"Now that I have more company, I have to visit it more often." he said and poked Neji's cheek playfully, smearing syrup all over it.

"Hey!" the younger boy laughed, trying to pay back Itachi in the same way.

They didn't realise they had already arrived outside Itachi's family compounds. Ex Police Force shinobi were coming and going, looking annoyed at the young ANBU captain as he was behaving foolishly with the Hyuga boy. But they didn't dare say anything insulting. Especially something concerning the pale-eyed child. The heir of their clan had made it very clear that Neji Hyuga was under his protection, even though the little boy wasn't aware of that declaration. The only thing they could was bow their heads when they passed Itachi and murmur a greeting at him and his companion.

Don't forget, that was shinobi world. Where sentiments and friendships were not highly valued. Where the failure of coup d'êtats left the instigators with teir blood boiling. Where having someone supervise you felt as if having a noose around your neck. And what were the Hyuga doing if not supervising them?

Them! The mighty Uchiha clan, with the pride of the Sharingan, the pride of their history and their ancienty. The pride of their name. And of their ancenstors…

A number of the Uchiha were very much displeased with how things had turned out. They wanted to change the village, overthrow the Hokage and establish a greater ruling power, one that would make Konoha the center not only of Fire Nation but of the whole world. And now, they were the loosers and had to give word for whatever they did to the Hyuga and accept one of their children in their house!

What a disgrace…

But still, they couldn't just act without thinking. They had already failed once and the Uchiha learnt from their mistakes, or so they believed. They would plan their actions carefully and act when the time was precisely right. This coup would succeed.

"Mother, we're back!" Itachi shouted and sat on the wooden veranda with Neji to take their shoes off.

A smashing and crashing sound came from inside the house and a woman's yell:

"SASUKE!"

And then the thud of the steps of someone running towards them. A moment later, a little boy appeared on the door, grinning happily.

"Nii-san!" he cried and flung his arms atound Itachi's neck, shaking him left and right and almost making him loose his balance.

"Sasuke, calm down." Itachi siad but he was smiling at his brother, not succeeding in making him stop.

"I'm not alone here Sasuke, don't be rude." Itachi tried again and that put a reluctant halt to Sasuke's hugging.

The younger Uchiha tightened his arms possesively around his brother and turned to look at the other boy who had already his shoes off and tidy placed beside his feet. Through narrowed eyes Sasuke glared Neji and said flatly:

"Oh, it's Neji…"

The brown-haired boy resisted the urge to stick his tongue out to the little brat and settled for narowing his eyes too.

"Now Sasuke, we talked about —"

"Uchiha Sasuke!" a woman interupted Itachi, standing at the threshold of the open doors and glaring at the youngest of the three boys.

They turned their heads to face her, except from Sasuke who hurried to hide behind his brother's back.

"Oh mother! Hello!"

"Good evening Mikoto-san." Neji said politely, bowing his head to the beautiful woman.

"Hello boys, how did your training go?" she asked with a smile and, not waiting for an answer, she turned to continue glaring at her second son.

"You, young mister, will go and clean the mess you made in the kitchen this instand!"

"Noooo!" Sasuke whined and gripped Itachi's shirt.

"Yes!"

Mikoto took two steps and wrapped her arm around the boy's stomach, raising him up, away from Itachi's protection.

"What did you do this time?" the older boy asked and stood up, watching Neji with the corner of his eye, who was trying not to giggle at the sight of Sasuke waving his arms wildly and kicking, trying to escape from his mother's sure grip.

"He was helping me prepare the dinner when he heard you and hurried to run here, throwing down the bowl with the rice in the process. That's what he did – stop moving!" she theatened Sasuke, who was now hanging from her elbow, his head down and feet up in the air.

Itachi laughed and patted his brother's upside down head.

"Be a good boy and do what mother says." he said and looked up to the woman again.

"Mother, me and Neji will go wash our hands and then we'll help you finish dinner. Come on Neji!"

The two boys walked into the house, leaving Sasuke whining "Nii-san…" while still trying to escape from his mother.

It had become usual for Neji to have dinner at the Uchiha's house when he and Itachi were trining till late and the leader of the clan wasn't around due to missions and various other responsibilities. Neji was shy at first because he wasn't used to having a kind woman like Mikoto-san cooking for him. Back at the Hyuga compounds, dinner was being prepared by an old hag of the branch family who was frowning all the time and cooking way too salty foods. Tasting Mikoto-san's cooking was a pleasant change and Neji was enjoying dinner with them at least two times a week. Sometimes he was feeling he was being rude by intruding at their daily lives like that but after talking to Itachi about it, the older boy had reassured him that his mother was very happy to have another cute little boy to take care of.

"Did she really say that?" Neji had asked doubtfully.

"Why, you don't believe me or maybe you don't believe you're cute?" Itachi had said after noticing the younger boy's expression.

"It's not that I don't believe you, but cuteness has no value in our world."

Itachi had chuckled and patted Neji's head.

"You're wrong and you are ondeed very cute."

Neji had blushed deeply and squated the boy's hand away.

After that, the two boys had grown more accustomed to each other's frwquent presence. They began training together, after Itachi's insistance and Neji's uncle agreement, even if it was very difficult to arrange a steady schedule for that due to the older boy's many responsibilities as an ANBU captain and his clan's heir. The two boys were steadily becoming better, the younger one learning from the older and getting valuable advice. Itachi was learning from Neji too. The little one had a stubbornness and an ironic, almost cynical way of viewing things, that was refreshing for the Uchiha heir. Unconsiously, he was affected by it and his natural gentleness became a little bit more difficult to surface when facing a tricky situation, a meeting with certain members of his clan for example.

They were, without a doubt, becoming best friends, and that was provoking equally positive and negative reactions from their clans and the other leaders of Konoha. Between those contradicting factors, the years passed quickly, bringing Itachi and Neji face to face with new and also old issues to deal with.

Their childhood might have been interesting and somewhat innocent but one could not say the same for their approaching adulthood. Oh yes, it was predicted to be full of surprises, raging emotions, schemes and battles. Bloody ones and not…


End file.
